An exhibition at the British Library – Secret Maps – opened this evening at the British Library.
Step into the shadows at Secret Maps, a major new exhibition revealing the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps.
Maps have always been more than just tools for navigation – in the hand of governments, groups and individuals, maps create and control knowledge. In Secret Maps, we trace the levels of power, coercion and secrecy that lie behind maps from the 14th century to the present day, and uncover the invisible forces that draw and distort the world around us.
Some of the maps on display reveal hidden landscapes, offering insight into places long forgotten or erased from official histories. Others are purposefully deceptive, designed to protect treasures, mask strategic locations, or reshape the way we see the world. This exhibition uncovers each of their individual secrets, revealing their hidden purposes and power.
Discover the maps you were never meant to see.
These are some of the maps in the exhibition that featured the Horn of Africa, and one from Arabia, by Lawrence of Arabia – one of Britain’s most extraordinary spies. The maps are shown first and then the description.
Martin Plaut 
Dear Martin,
What you shared in this post was but a portion of the whole exhibit, I assume, but even these give a sense of something really extraordinary. So thanks for sharing this.
The destruction of the East Wing of ’the People’s House’ is a perfect metaphor for the ongoing actions of this administration. But as Heather Cox Richardson said in her post this morning, were there paintings and artifacts in the East Wing and have they been preserved and documented, or were they simply destroyed?
And what’s next?
Love to you both, Howard
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